I’ve been busy – anything interesting happen over the weekend?
But seriously, I’m not going to bother with covering the current events today – my wife got home from her trip this weekend. She was supposed to arrive Saturday afternoon, but some dipshit joked about a bomb and got the entire airport shut down. With all the cancelled and delayed flights because of that, my wife was stuck there until late into the night and we didn’t get home from picking her up until nearly 4AM.
The past week had been pretty stressful for me because she had to travel to an area that is typically an epicenter for political protests but thankfully nothing happened while she was there, though she did travel to the airport extra early to avoid the possibility of getting stuck in traffic if the planned protests escalated and people started blocking roadways. It’s good to plan ahead.
Was I being overly paranoid hyper-vigilant? Well, yes and no. Obviously, living your life with a shroud of doom covering you and worrying about everything isn’t healthy, but there’s a case to be made about being prepared and alert. I was a bit, uhh, “extra alert” this past week because she was traveling alone to a protest center, and I wouldn’t be able to help protect or defend her should something happen. This is not to say that she isn’t capable of protecting herself, but I never want her to need to – that’s my job as her husband. So I did what I could and monitored social media for any indications that other protests could pop up there, or for any indications that there might be violent undercurrents.
Fortunately there were none, and everything about the trip went smoothly until her return trip. And even though there were the delays, I’m glad the airport she was stuck at was within range of one of my best friends who said they could retrieve her from the airport should something happen.
So stay alert, be prepared, and have contingency plans, but don’t let fear rule your life. A bit of paranoia hyper-vigilance is healthy, but too much is just as bad (or worse) than none at all.
Interesting Tidbits
I’m not tipping a slack-jawed teen for no work. Let’s fix our tip culture – “The social contract has been shredded, and we’re all left fumbling with our wallets while the person behind us in line judges our generosity for a transaction that once went untipped.”
5 Headlines That Quietly Hint We’re Living in an Apocalypse Movie
8 Amazing Bookstores and Libraries You Can Spend the Night In – There are two in the US, we may have to visit some time.
AI Slop YouTube Channels Are Telling AI Slop Google About AI Slop Motorcycles That Don’t Exist – “So where did Google get the idea that this bike was currently on the market? Well, luckily, the AI credits its source: An AI-generated, AI-voiced video on an all-AI YouTube channel, using nonsensical AI imagery to claim a new VMAX is on the way. The snake is eating its own AI-generated tail.”
‘You were supposed to break’: ChatGPT’s dark turn with vulnerable users exposed – “the AI sent him into a delusional spiral that culminated in him confronting the product after it encouraged him jump from a 19-story building to prove he could bend reality.”
People Are Becoming Obsessed with ChatGPT and Spiraling Into Severe Delusions – “What these bots are saying is worsening delusions, and it’s causing enormous harm.”
They Asked an A.I. Chatbot Questions. The Answers Sent Them Spiraling. – “Generative A.I. chatbots are going down conspiratorial rabbit holes and endorsing wild, mystical belief systems. For some people, conversations with the technology can deeply distort reality.”
Chicago Sun-Times Sunday insert contains 10 AI-generated fake books in summer reading list
Harvard’s $US27 Magna Carta ‘copy’ turns out to be an original – I’d check if my copy of the Declaration of Independence is real, but Nicolas Cage hasn’t shown up to steal it so I doubt it.
Washington pizza delivery trackers guessed something was up before secret Israel attack – don’t doubt the “Pizza Index.” “Not confining its analysis to pizza, the account noted three hours later that a gay bar near the Pentagon had ‘abnormally low traffic for a Thursday night,’ and said this probably pointed to ‘a busy night at the Pentagon.'”
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